Lung Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Pneumonia in Acute Bronchiolitis Children

Abstract

Background: The most common cause of hospitalization for infants under 24 months of age is bronchiolitis, a viral lower respiratory tract infection. In recent decades, lung ultrasound has emerged as a new diagnostic technique for identifying pneumonia, so,  the study's objective was to evaluate the diagnostic precision and dependability of LUS in identifying acute pneumonia in bronchiolitis children who were admitted to the hospital. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Souq Al Khamis Hospital in Al Khoms City, Al-Marqab University, during the period from January 2024 to June 2024 on 30 children from birth to age 18 months. Results: 86.7% of the cases in the study were between the ages of 1 and 6 months, with a mean age of 4.20 months. The most prevalent clinical symptoms in the group under study were fever (60%), followed by wheezes (96.7%). Significant respiratory distress was experienced by 10% of the population under study, mild by 26.7%, and moderate by 63.3%. Hyperinflation, lung consolidation, and peri-bronchial thickening were abnormal X-ray findings. Subpleural lung consolidation, uneven pleural lines, and compact B line (53.3%, 26.7%, and 3.3%, respectively) were abnormal ultrasonographic findings. Conclusion: When diagnosing probable instances of pneumonia in children, lung ultrasonography is more sensitive and reliable more chest X-rays. When diagnosed community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children, LUS is a very specific and sensitive diagnostic technique. Thus, we speculate that in infants suspected of having CAP, LUS might be the first imaging test to be performed.